Sharif Digital Repository

The endurance time (ET) method is a dynamic analysis in which structures are subjected to intensifying excitations, also known as ET excitation functions (ETEF). The ET method is a tool for structural response prediction. The main advantage of the ET method over conventional approaches is its much lower demand for computational efforts. The concept of acceleration spectra is used in generating existing ETEFs. It is expected that ETEF acceleration spectra increase consistently with time and remain proportional to a target spectrum. Nonlinear unconstrained optimization is commonly used to generate ETEFs. Generating new ETEFs is a complicated time-consuming mathematical problem. If the target... 

This comment concerns the mathematical errors in the recent work of Wang et al. (2016). The corrected equations are presented. Deflections and critical values of compressive force and forward speed are modified. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd  

In this paper, an indirect adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller for a 3-dimensional inverted pendulum as a fully actuated MIMO system is developed. This inverted pendulum, has four degrees of freedom and equations of the system are nonlinear and non-minimum phase. Thus, control of this system is a challenging issue. Accordingly, in this work, general basis of sliding mode control method with reaching rules is expressed for this system, then the fuzzy control theory is combined, and modeling uncertainties of the system are estimated by universal fuzzy approximation theory. Controller parameters are updated by a defined adaptation law to decrease the tracking error of the inverted pendulum.... 

In an earlier study dealing with a nonlinear fluid oscillator governed by two autonomous ODEs, the solutions were found to display some aberrant characteristics adjacent to the boundaries of the oscillatory regime in parameter space. It was argued that this behaviour indicated the presence of canards. In the present study it is formally proved that this indeed is the case, and some numerical examples illustrating the phenomenon as well as its effects are presented. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd  

The paper presents size-dependant mechanical behaviors of carbon nanotubes under electrostatic actuation using modified couple stress theory. The behaviors of the carbon nanotubes with different geometries and boundary conditions are studied in detail. The results reveal that application of this theory results in higher pull-in voltages for both cantilever and doubly clamped boundary conditions  

The existence, nature, and frequency of discontinuities in a given rock mass typically govern the overall shear behavior of the rock. The presence of fine materials such as clay and silt within rock joints, whether the product of infilling or natural weathering processes, can have a significant effect on the shear behavior of the rock joint. When assessing the strength of filled rock joints, it is therefore necessary to determine the separate strengths of both the rock and the joint infill material, and to also have a good understanding of the interaction between the two for various joint geometries and levels of infilling. Much of the existing research on the shear strength of filled rock... 

Multi-sensor tracking is widely used for augmentation of tracking accuracy using data fusion. A basic requirement for such applications is the real time temporal synchronization and spatial registration of two sensory data. In this study a new method for time and space coordination of two tracking sensor measurements has been presented. For spatial registration we used a body coordinate system and then applied the effect of the level arm. The time synchronization was done based on least mean square (LMS) error method. This method was implemented to synchronize the position and orientation of an object using Inertial (1IMU) and Optical (Optotrak) tracking systems. The results of synchronized... 

This paper describes latest results obtained on modeling, simulation and controller design of an insect-like Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle (FWMAV). Because of the highly nonlinear and time varying nature of insect flight and the inability to find an equilibrium point, linearization of the model without compromising the accuracy is not possible. Therefore, to address the problem of designing a controller capable of stabilizing and controlling the FWMAV around a hovering point, a metaheuristic optimization approach is proposed, based on the time averaging theorem. The results show that a controller, designed using the proposed method, is capable of stabilizing the FWMAV effectively around... 

This paper discusses the mission requirements and design constraints for an Unmanned Martian research aircraft based on a tailor-made classical airplane design methodology. First, the exploration mission is described using the information from previous real-world experiences and the desired payload is proposed accordingly. The environmental conditions that dictate severe constraints to the design space are characterized afterwards. The conventional airplane design cycle is modified to address the lack of statistical data and to define a proper design recycling criteria. Eventually, the outcome is presented in the form of a novel configuration that is well suited to carry out the specified... 

System Identification is a key technology for the development and integration of modern engineering systems including unconventional flying vehicles. These systems are highly parametric with complex dynamics and nonlinearities. Ducted fans are special class of these vehicles that can take off vertically, hover and cruise at very low speed. In this paper, an exact equivalent linear system is found from the non-linear dynamic model of a ducted fan by use of frequency response identification. Here, power spectral density analysis is performed, using CIFER software, to evaluate the input-output responses in hover and to derive the transfer functions based on the coherence criterion. Then,... 

This work concerns with developing a non-equilibrium model of gravity drainage in a single block. The proposed model which considers both non-equilibrium effects of capillary pressure and relative permeabilities is used for prediction of oil recovery by gravity drainage from a single block. Close agreement observed between the model results and experimental data disclosed that the non-equilibrium assumption is completely reliable for modeling of gravity drainage. The results revealed that when the characteristic time of the saturation variation is comparable with the time required to establish capillary equilibrium, the non-equilibrium effects in gravity drainage must be considered. The... 

Design and operation of an opto-mechanical system employing a double-cell is reported here for the color liquid reflection studies. The reported system consists of a double-fiber optical design and an electro-mechanical scanning system. In this arrangement one fiber transmits the source light to the object surface and the second one transmits the light reflected from the sample to a photodetector. By scanning the double-fiber assembly in one-direction reflection properties of different color liquids are investigated. Reflection signals depend on the cell surface structure and the cell filled material. Two sets of flat/cylindrical cells made of almost similar glass materials are used for this... 

In this paper, the strain gradient theory, a non-classical continuum theory capable of capturing the size effect observed in micro-scale structures, is employed in order to investigate the size-dependent mechanical behavior of microbars. For a strain gradient bar, the governing equation of motion and classical and non-classical boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton's principle. Closed form solutions have been analytically obtained for static deformation, natural frequencies and mode shapes of strain gradient bars. The static deformation and natural frequencies of a clamped-clamped microbar subjected to a uniform axial distributed force are derived analytically and the results are... 

Micro/nano gyroscopes which can measure angular rate or angle are types of merging gyroscope technology with MEMS/NEMS technology. They have extensively used in many fields of engineering, such as automotive, aerospace, robotics and consumer electronics. There are many studies of a variety of gyroscopes with various drive and detect methods and different resonator structures in last years. In case of electrostatically actuated and detected beam micro/nano-gyroscopes, DC voltages are applied in driving and sensing directions and AC voltage is utilized in driving direction in order to excite drive oscillation. The intermolecular surface forces are especially significant when the gyroscopes are... 

In this paper we developed a new mathematical model for the flow inside cascade impactors and via this simplified model, we determined the particle size distribution by a fast and low cost computational method. Using cascade impactors for determining the particle size distribution, one can use comprehensive CFD methods to fully simulate the particle traces. Although the results from those CFD analyses can be very accurate, usually that is not a time and cost efficient routine. In contrast, we showed that by using our proposed calculation we can estimate the particle size distribution very fast and yet with the slight error -comparing to the results from CFD method. Cascade impactors are... 

In this paper axial and torsional vibrations of a drillstring are studied using cylindrical superelement. Drillstring vibration equation is derived by calculating kinetic and potential energy and work done by external forces on drillstring, and utilizing Hamilton's principle. The model is analyzed by implementing finite element technique with consideration drillstring weight, centrifugal force due to rotation of drillstring, axial force resulting from bit with the formation contact and torsional torque caused by the stick-slip phenomenon. To calculate the vibrational response of drillstring, a computational finite element scheme was developed. For a typical case of oil well drillstring, the... 

Lipoproteins are biochemical compounds containing both proteins and lipids. These particles carry chemicals like cholesterol and triglycerides that are not soluble in aqueous solutions. This paper presents modeling of lipoprotein system using coarse grain molecular dynamics technique and stability analysis of this system in a water solution like blood. A high density lipoprotein (HDL) that consists of two annular monomers is modeled. Also there are lipid bilayers located in center of the rings, so the whole HDL and lipid bilayers are called lipoprotein system. First, all atom model is provided and then coarse-grain model is obtained using MARTINI technique. Modeling of the system in all atom... 

The Fontan surgery is performed on patients with a single ventricle heart defect to prevent the combination of highlyoxygenated and poorly-oxygenated blood. Blood flow in total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) which culminates an ordinary Fontan operation is practically steady-state but this flow is not appropriate for respiratory systems. This article investigates an approach in Fontan surgery that has been recently proposed in order to make the pulmonary blood flow pulsating. Moreover, for investigating the compliance of vessels and its effects on blood flow in TCPC, we have used the FSI (Fluid Structure Interaction) method as well as rigid wall assumption for comparison purposes. Our TCPC... 

Multiscale finite volume (MSFV) method have been developed and applied in various complicated physics. The most important advantage of MSFV method is its computational efficiency. In this paper we present a new set of boundary condition for calculation of basis and correction functions which leads to further reduction in computational time in problems with medium heterogeneity and therefore improves computational efficiency. In standard MSFV (sMSFV) method reduced boundary condition is used to determine the basis and correction functions which is based on local information, however in modified MSFV (mMSFV) method global information is used at initial time for constructing boundary condition... 

In order to reach a more efficient and compact heat exchanger, it is essential to optimize the design, having in mind the impact of different geometrical parameters. Many of the previously cited studies in the area of heat transfer enhancement using vortex generators were confined only to defined points in the possible design space. Thus, a multiobjective optimization study is particularly suitable in order to cover this space entirely. A CFD simulation along with Pareto method were used to simulate the air flow and heat transfer and optimize the design parameters. The angle of attack of a pair of delta-winglets mounted behind each tube is varied between β = -90° and ß = +90°. Three...